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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28025364">drowning on dry land</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonburntmemory/pseuds/moonburntmemory'>moonburntmemory</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ZKDrabbleDecember2020 [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angsty Zuko, Badass Katara (Avatar), Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Healer Katara, Season 3 AU, Sick Zuko (Avatar), katara is an angsty girl whom we love, painted lady shenanigans, there's a lot of blue spirit/katara but not the other way around so here, zuko is clueless for all eternity because i can, zuko said eat the rich</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:35:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,061</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28025364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonburntmemory/pseuds/moonburntmemory</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As a plague wreaks havoc in the islands of the Fire Nation, Katara dons the disguise of the Painted Lady to heal people who need her.</p><p>She's not expecting to find the prince of the Fire Nation among the sick. Or anything that happens afterward.</p><p>Day 12: Living Proof<br/>Day 15: Breathless<br/>Day 16: Can You Feel Me?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara/Zuko (Avatar), The Painted Lady/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ZKDrabbleDecember2020 [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>92</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>156</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>ZK Drabble December 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. proof of mercy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Day 12: Living Proof of ZK Drabble December</p><p>this is probably my favorite prompt response of the month so far. enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Katara spent her nights encased in mist and shadows, wearing a facade that wasn’t her own.</p><p>A plague was making its way through the Fire Nation, lurking in every corner as people cowered indoors and prayed for safety. No one was safe from the disease that filled up your lungs until you couldn’t breathe, leaving those suffering to drown on dry land. There was no known cure, at least not anything that the Fire Nation citizens could replicate.</p><p>Katara’s healing was not bound to the knowledge of plants and herbs like theirs were. It was ironic; the only thing that could save the Fire Nation were the waterbenders they had tried to wipe out.</p><p>So after the sun dipped below the skyline and stars watched over her, Katara would don her disguise of the Painted Lady again, with a similar purpose. </p><p>The wide-brimmed straw hat, battered cloak, and red paint smeared in lines across her face and arms marked her as otherworldly, a healing force. Katara figured the real Painted Lady likely wouldn’t mind her extending the same assistance to the rest of the nation in addition to the town that worshipped her.</p><p>Stories about benevolent spirits followed Katara through every town she visited, where they would pray to and light incense in honor of the Painted Lady. The people Katara healed worshipped her, blissfully unaware of who and what she really was.</p><p>Under the cover of darkness, she entered what had become a ghost town, walking past eerily silent wooden structures. No flickering fires danced in the lanterns to illuminate the night because people were too scared to go outside and light them. </p><p>Reaching the healing hut sequestered at the edge of town, Katara was immediately overcome by the smell of too many people packed into the tiny structure. The sick had all been condemned to death here with the hope illness wouldn’t spread further. </p><p>“Oh no, it’s even worse than I thought,” Katara whispered softly, to herself more than anyone else. </p><p>This town had been hit worse than others she’d come to before, but Katara believed she could help them all, even if it took more than one night.</p><p>Kneeling beside the first person lying prone on the tatami floor, Katara got to work. The oppressive heat and smell of crowded bodies combined with damp coughing all around her were distracting, but she coated her palms in water and started to heal.</p><p>She made her way through the disorganized rows, leaving her patients less feverish than before as she pulled them back from the brink of death before moving to another. </p><p>Katara worked tirelessly, falling into the familiar motions like an ingrained habit before stopping dead in her tracks with wide eyes.</p><p>How was he here? Was it really him?<em> It couldn’t be. </em></p><p>He lay in front of her helplessly, living proof of every heinous crime his people had committed. A flesh and blood living thing that could suffer in the place of the people who had taken everything from Katara. </p><p>Zuko lay, groaning amidst ragged breaths, suffering just as much as everyone else in the room. Needing Katara to soothe his pain just as much as all the others. He was the same as the rest of them, admittedly with hands more unclean. </p><p>His scar was what gave him away, tightening with tension as he fell into a coughing fit and curling up into himself, shivering. He wore peasant garbs and his hair had grown even longer than Katara remembered, but it was definitely him. She would recognize Zuko anywhere. </p><p>Katara had promised to never turn her back on people that needed her. Zuko needed her. She wouldn't let him die. She would make him living proof of kindness and forgiveness and everything else that made her different from the Fire Nation. He would live every day of the rest of his life due to her mercy, a constant reminder of who Katara was. </p><p>Katara was the one saving Ozai’s people, even his own son, while he cowered within the confines of his palace, safe.</p><p>Slowly kneeling next to his bedroll, she wondered how he had come to lay amongst the sick and dying in a poor town so far away from the Fire Nation’s capital. It was a story she wouldn’t get to know, so Katara shook her head slightly and coated her palms in cool water.</p><p>The hut was filled with iridescent light yet again as she undid his shirt and pressed her hands into the sweat-soaked skin of his bare chest. Katara could feel the rancid liquid suffocating him from within sloshing in his lungs, and called upon it with her bending.</p><p>Zuko fell into another coughing fit as she expelled the fluid from his lungs, eyes flying open to reveal unfocused and blown pupils. </p><p>She locked eyes with him for a moment, terrified, before realizing she was hidden behind the mantle she wore, which lent her strength. Katara watched as the heaving of his chest lessened and his breaths evened out, causing him to open his mouth.</p><p>She thought he was going to spit some insult, having recognized her. To Katara’s shock, he tenderly whispered, “You’re beautiful.”</p><p>Katara gazed at him and saw only fever-ridden sincerity. He likely wouldn’t remember this when the morning came, but this exchange called into question everything she knew about Zuko. The sick boy in front of her, taken by the beauty of his savior, was nothing like the prince who’d betrayed her in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se.</p><p> Not being able to help a small smile, Katara brought her still-glowing palms to his forehead, brushing away his damp bangs and soothing his fever. He sluggishly clasped his hand around hers with tender appreciation, closing his eyes in bliss as he fell back into unconsciousness.</p><p>Katara stole a few moments to look at him when no one would ever know or judge her for it. Even with the pallor of sickness, Zuko was beautiful. The delicate lines and planes of his face seemed more gentle in sleep, his scar darkly contrasting to the pale smoothness of his unmarred cheek. Katara brought a knuckle to trace over the rough tissue, deciding it was just as beautiful as the rest of him. </p><p>No, she didn’t have time for this. Zuko was still her enemy. Even if she had healed him, it didn’t dissolve the animosity remaining between them.</p><p>The sun would rise soon and she needed to get back to camp. Releasing herself from his comfort-seeking grasp, Katara strode out of the building and back into the night. Whether or not she looked back was concealed in the hazy fog surrounding her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>tell me why i now want to write a longass princess mononoke fic when i already have a ton of stuff i need to finish. anyways,</p><p>thank you for reading, kudosing, and commenting!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. don't fear the darkness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Day 15: Breathless of ZK Drabble December</p><p>i've seen a lot of amazing 'zuko is silent and brooding blue spirit and katara does not know his identity but is falling in love with him' and while i love it, i decided to flip it. presenting:</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zuko fell into the shadows beyond the view of patrolling sentries, looming over them as an unseen threat.</p><p>In a matter of minutes, the guards would go through a shift change, just like he’d observed in reconnaissance, and there’d be a chink in the armor he could slip through. It was just a matter of waiting. </p><p>He missed his Blue Spirit mask, which now lay at the bottom of Lake Laogai. Still, some things were meant to stay dead.</p><p>Alone except for the soft heaving of his breath and quiet noises of the nearby river, Zuko leaned against a tree, more fatigued than usual. It had been three days since he’d woken up from his deathbed with new life. Everyone in the town had rejoiced, attributing it to the benevolence of a spirit: The Painted Lady.</p><p>Zuko wasn’t sure. He wasn't familiar with the smaller villages' legends and only hazily recalled the night he’d escaped death’s reach. There was no telling what happened. Beyond a blinding blue light and a presence shrouded in shadows and mystery, Zuko could only make blind guesses as to the true nature of what had happened that night.</p><p>It was unusual for spirits to involve themselves in the plight of humans, but who was he to question such matters? Zuko was lucky to be alive. </p><p>The only other spirit Zuko had ever met was La, merged with the Avatar as it sought retribution on Zhao. He had been spared then and again by the otherwordly being that visited him while he slept. Zuko had a million questions, none of which could-or should, perhaps- be answered.</p><p>Shrugging away the lingering ache in his chest that hadn't quite gone away as he recovered, Zuko straightened his posture. </p><p>It was his own damn fault he'd fallen ill and almost died in the first place. He'd gotten sloppy during his last visit to a factory south of here, being forced to jump into the sludge waste and swim out for his life. It was no surprise when he collapsed, breathless, a couple of days later.</p><p>Yet, here Zuko was: not even fully healed and about to wreak havoc in the latest in a long list of military production facilities. It was comforting to know his father would be rolling in his grave if he could see this (and were dead). </p><p>Ozai was, after all, the one responsible for the illness plaguing his people. It was no natural disease sweeping through the land; it was a man-made monstrosity created by toxins seeping into their homes from the smelting of metal for the war. His father was poisoning his people and no one was stopping him.</p><p>That was when Zuko had seen who the great Fire Lord truly was and left in the middle of the night. His duty wasn't to sit beside his father as their subjects suffered; it was to help them, whether or not it made him a traitor to his nation. The only real traitor here was Ozai.</p><p>He was abruptly interrupted by a cracking sound coming from behind him. Swinging around and drawing his blade, Zuko nearly fell to his knees at the sight in front of him.</p><p>Enshrouded by mist and gazing up at him from under a wide-brimmed hat, a living spirit stood, watching him. What was visible of her cheeks and chin were swirled in a matching pattern or red paint that decorated her tanned arms. Tattered robes that seemed to float around her lent her an ethereal presence, punctuated by a small gasp.</p><p>It all came rushing back to him: how he gazed up at her in a fevered haze, being unable to process the details facing down where he lay, closing his eyes as it faded away, and the final cool touch of fingers to his forehead. </p><p>"You're real. I thought you were just a legend, a dream, but you healed me. I remember," Zuko whispered in a soft tone, lowering his swords.</p><p>The Painted Lady shuffled back carefully, turning around to flee, before Zuko called out, "Wait!"</p><p>Zuko hastily pulled down the black fabric covering the lower half of his face and put his hands up in surrender, trying to convey that he meant her no harm. She stopped in her place, bringing her hands to pull down the brim of her hat before facing him. </p><p>"Are you really a spirit? Are you really what they say you are?" Zuko breathed, scared even the slightest sudden move would scare her away.</p><p>He saw her mouth open and close before she nodded, still concealing her face. </p><p>Zuko had never heard tales of a spirit so concerned with hiding her face before but figured it best not to question that which he did not understand.</p><p>"You're here for the same reason I am, aren't you? To get rid of the sickness?" </p><p>She nodded slowly again, staying in place as Zuko inched closer. "I can help you. I've been staking this place out. We can take it down together," he offered quietly.</p><p>A long moment passed before she hesitantly placed her tiny hand on the black fabric of his sleeve and gestured forwards, a silent agreement between them.</p><p>He pulled his hood and mask back up to follow her.</p><p>She was agile, although her origins in the Spirit World might have been responsible for it. The Painted Lady seemed to glide along surfaces, just as nimble as Zuko when sneaking past guards.</p><p>Their backs pressed against the wall of a dark corner while guards passed, Zuko took a moment to look at her. There still wasn't much to see from his vantage point above her, but he could make out her rounded cheeks, the curve of her jawline, and soft lips painted in red.</p><p>Were all spirits this beautiful?</p><p>She turned to him, pressing a finger to Zuko's lips before clasping his arm and diving out into the open, bounding through the halls. The strain of running on his lungs was apparent as Zuko heaved in front of the door leading to the main infrastructure of the factory.</p><p>The Painted Lady paused for a moment, unreadable as ever, before pressing a finger into her chest and gesturing to the room in front of them. Gingerly, she pointed at Zuko and then towards the next room down the hall that housed most of the important machinery, if he recalled correctly. (It had been quite foolish for Ozai to plan all of the factories of the same layout, especially in a world where vigilantes and angry spirits roamed. At this moment, Zuko was quite grateful for his father's flawed plans.)</p><p>Retrieving his swords from their sheaths, Zuko cocked his head. "Are you sure you want to split up? I can help you and then we can do the machinery together."</p><p>The spirit shook her head, emphatically, repeating her earlier gesture for him to leave. "Alright, I'll meet you here, after?" he confirmed, trying to hide the awe in his voice. Zuko didn't doubt a powerful being such as the Painted Lady could handle the entire main factory by herself, but it was still slightly shocking.</p><p>Slinking off into the side room, Zuko got to work as the clinking of his swords against metal signaled the destruction of his father's empire. He burned what he could, leaving the entire room mangled and beyond repair. He occasionally heard a loud thunk from down the hall but wasn't prepared for the chaos unfolding when he ran back out to join the spirit.</p><p>Melted ore seeped across the floor, alarms and lights starting to blare as the footsteps of guards grew louder. The Painted Lady once again gripped his arm, sprinting through the hallways towards the exit.</p><p>"Hey! Stop right there!" a random guard called out as they careened onto the metal balcony overlooking the gurgling river they were dumping toxic waste into.</p><p>The spirit and Zuko merely picked up the pace, tension rising as more guards started to chase after them.</p><p>They were so close-almost there-when he saw a glint in the distance and instinctively jumped in front of the spirit. A whishing noise accompanied the searing pain that shot through his left shoulder blade, sending him crashing to the ground.</p><p>There was an arrowhead sticking out of his chest and the blood was starting to coat the shining steel floor, hot warmth pooling around his chest as it seeped through his clothes. The pain was overwhelming, dulling any sense of reality as it coursed through every nerve in his body.</p><p>Around him, Zuko heard an awful, guttural cry before arms were pulling him up, making it hurt even more and eliciting a broken noise from him.</p><p>All of a sudden, there was wetness surrounding him and he felt weightless. As the tight grip around his waist no longer bound him to consciousness, everything started to slip away, fading into expressionless darkness.</p><p>The last thing he saw before the water engulfed him and the world went dark and his lungs went breathless were a pair of eyes, brilliant blue underneath an abandoned straw hat.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>oblivious zuko in love with spirit katara? yes please</p><p>word limits? no thank you we're not going to talk about those. this was also supposed to be three chapters but now i have no clue how long it will actually be so ;)</p><p>thanks for commenting, liking, and kudosing!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. destiny incarnate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Day 16: Can You Feel Me? of ZK Drabble December</p><p>katara is, again, a badass. that's it. that's the whole thing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Katara pushed her hands into the wound, desperately trying to stop the flow of blood that coated her hands and the riverbank he lay on crimson. </p><p>"No, no, no, no," she breathed out as she dropped the broken arrowhead next to the remains of his shirt on the ground beside her. Zuko's eyes shot open with a loud grunt before he went limp again beneath her. Summoning water from the river and cleaning it, Katara rushed to coat her hands and bring them to the wound.</p><p>"You're not dying on me, understand?" Katara climbed onto his chest, her legs boxing him in on both sides, and pushed her hands into the wound. Zuko convulsed at the intrusive touch, but she held steady as her hands started to glow and the blood stopped pouring out.</p><p>Katara didn't quite understand the fierce driving rushing through her, but she remained adamant he <em>would not die</em>. Just a few days prior, she had debated leaving him for dead on the floor of the sickhouse, but now she was hunched over, red paint dripping off of her furrowed brow and onto him, with the sole purpose of saving him. </p><p>She had wondered how the prince of the Fire Nation had ended up dying in a tiny village so south, but seeing him as a masked vigilante had answered the question. </p><p>Katara had started catching on that this sickness plaguing the Fire Nation wasn't natural a while ago. It couldn't be mere coincidence that the poorest towns with the most black smoke billowing out into the sky were the most afflicted by the illness.</p><p>It was also no coincidence that the last few towns they'd visited with factories recently destroyed had been in much better shape than those with them intact. What she hadn't predicted was that Zuko was responsible, leading to immense shock at seeing the ever-familiar scar peeking out of black cloth earlier in the seemingly endless night. </p><p>It all made sense now, how Zuko had ended up dying in the middle of nowhere instead of being a prince in some far-away palace while his people suffered. He had been in worse shape than anyone else she treated in the village, so Katara inferred he'd probably gotten sick sabotaging the other smelting plants. Zuko was helping his people at the expense of his own well-being. Although it didn't seem possible, this boy, the one who gasped and believed she was a spirit, wasn't the same angry person who had betrayed her in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se. </p><p>He had jumped in front of an arrow for her and was now lying motionless in the mud, his face sporting an unhealthy pallor from loss of blood that stained the grass beneath his body. Exhausted, the blue glow faded, and Katara examined the wound, which had stopped bleeding but was still gaping.</p><p>There was nothing more she could do at the moment; she needed to get back to camp. The guards from the factory could find them at any given moment here. Katara scrambled to her feet, realizing there was only one option where Zuko would live. She'd have to take him back with her, leading him right to the very thing he'd chased them around the world for Aang.</p><p>Could this be an elaborate plan on his part to capture the Avatar? No, it couldn't be. He didn't even know it was Katara under the straw hat; it had been easy to conceal her face when he was so much taller than her. Zuko had literally almost died for a complete stranger, a spirit. He <em> would </em> die if she didn't dry him off and help him soon. </p><p>"You're going to be fine. Can you feel me? I'm right here and I won't let you die," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him, trying to be as gentle around his wound as possible after he let out a small groan.</p><p>With great effort, Katara heaved him over her shoulder, almost collapsing under his weight. Taking stunted steps towards the river, she trudged in with a large splash. She didn't want the sludgy water to get into Zuko's open wound, but he was already covered in the stuff and there were no other options. There was no way Katara could carry him back without the river and her bending; he was too much bigger than her. </p><p>The water of the river quickly reached up to her chest as she descended in, arms keeping the unconscious boy close to her. Taking heavy steps forward, with the help of her bending, Katara followed the river back to where she knew Aang, Toph, and Sokka were starting to rise with the sun peaking over the mountains.</p><p>Her feet sunk into the silt and mud with every step she took, desperately trying to maneuver Zuko and keep his head and wound above the water. He lay limp in her arms as she clutched the back of his legs and around his waist, a modified bridal style. Katara thought of what a strange sight they were: a river spirit carrying a human through her domain as if across a threshold. </p><p>Jostled after Katara tripped over a stone in the riverbed, Zuko let out a small whimper, eyes fluttering beneath closed lids. "It's okay; we're almost there. I got you. Don't worry," Katara soothed as he nestled into the crook of her shoulder to rest his head.</p><p>Finally reaching the embankment where the group had set up camp a few days earlier, Katara dragged herself and Zuko out of the river soaking wet before collapsing onto the patchy grass. Resting on her back, Katara succumbed to exhaustion, closing her eyes to block out the sunrise.</p><p>She didn't know how much time had passed when the growing sound of footsteps caused her to open her eyes to a worried Sokka and Aang hurrying towards her.</p><p>Sokka's mouth fell open in shock. "Katara, what's going on? What are you wearing...You're the Painted Lady?!?!?"</p><p>"I am, but that's not important right now." </p><p>"Huh," Aang murmured distantly.</p><p>Sokka then caught a glimpse of Zuko's slumped form beside her. "Oh, no. Please tell me that's not who I think it is," he murmured, bringing out his boomerang.</p><p>"No, Sokka. Don't hurt him; he's a friend," Katara defended Zuko, shielding him from Sokka with her body.</p><p>"<em>A friend?</em> He chased us halfway around the world and almost killed Aang! What were you thinking, randomly kidnapping the prince of the Fire Nation? We aren't supposed to kidnap people!" Sokka ranted as Toph arrived silently, falling back next to Aang.</p><p>"I didn't kidnap him. I found him sick in the town the other day because he's been destroying the factories that are making people sick. Last night, I went to do the same thing and he helped me," Katara explained in a low voice.</p><p>"Wait, the factories are what's making people sick?" Aang parroted.</p><p>"Yes, and Zuko knew that. I think- I think he ran away from his home because of it," Katara said in a low voice.</p><p>"This could be an elaborate trick to catch Aang, for all we know. How can you trust him? After what he's done?" Sokka demanded.</p><p>"He's hurt really badly because he took an arrow for me last night. I wouldn't be alive right now without him. And he's going to die in my arms if you guys don't help me save him. Please," Katara pleaded with her brother as silence clung to them like the blood stained on Katara's clothing.</p><p>"C'mon, Twinkle Toes. Help me carry him," Toph announced as she stepped forward, convinced by Katara's judgment of Zuko. </p><p>Toph clutched his feet and Aang supported his uninjured arm and side before Katara shakily rose to her feet, trying to help lift him.</p><p>As she struggled to bear Zuko's weight, Sokka let out a sigh and helped them to transport him, warning, "Fine. He stays for now, but one wrong move and we're throwing him back in the river, deal?"</p><p>Katara nodded, woozily making her way towards the camp. "Thank you."</p><p>It didn't nearly begin to cover the relief that washed over her, but Sokka's eyes seemed knowing of what Katara could say out loud as he nodded.</p><p>It was difficult for them to carry him back, the four of them even stumbling and almost dropping him a few times due to poor coordination. Katara warned them to be as gentle as they could with his wound, but he still unconsciously wrenched away every time someone accidentally brushed it. They eventually made it, setting Zuko down on Katara's empty bedroll.</p><p>Leaning over Zuko with a full skin of clean water, she used her bending to clean his wounds and body, leaving him shivering once dry in only his pants. </p><p>Sokka sighed. "You just <em>had </em>to bring home the shirtless firebender, huh, Katara?" </p><p>Katara tucked him into her bedroll, bandaging the wound on his chest in an effort to keep it clean. "Grow up, Sokka," she chided, finishing the wrapping. "I need one of you guys to go into town and buy the strongest liquor they sell."</p><p>"Is this really the appropriate time to get drunk?" Aang queried, confused as she merely sighed.</p><p>"No, Aang. It's for the wound- to disinfect it. That river water was nasty and we were practically marinating in it. There aren't any more medical supplies in town," Katara explained, her face still grim with worry.</p><p>Realization passed over the monk's face. "Ohhhhh. That makes more sense. C'mon, Sokka; let's go."</p><p>"What if Zuko wakes up and attacks everyone?" Sokka questioned with a frown, stroking the lines of a mustache that didn't exist.</p><p>"He'll be in a ton of pain from his shoulder. And he's still not completely recovered from the sickness. He'd barely be able to move, let alone attack us," Katara sighed.</p><p>"Fine. But Toph, make sure you keep an eye on Zuko. If he tries anything, make him a stone slab sandwich, capisce?"</p><p>"You got it, Captain Boomerang!" Toph replied, snarkily saluting the older boy.</p><p>As Aang and Sokka faded into the distance, Momo crawled onto Katara's lap and started to lap at Zuko's face. "Stop it, Momo. Let him sleep," Katara shooed as she finished cleaning herself off, retiring her mantle of the Painted Lady to the ground beside her.</p><p>There was silence for a few minutes as Katara's eyelids grew heavy and the warmth of Sokka's borrowed sleeping roll lulled her towards sleep. She blearily opened her eyes at the sound of Toph clearing her throat.</p><p>"So... half-naked and dying firebender in your bedroll. Rough night," Toph grunted.</p><p>Katara turned to face the blind earthbender slowly. "You don't sound that worried, at least nowhere near Sokka's state of panic."</p><p>"I'm not."</p><p>Katara's eyebrow quirked up. "Why not?"</p><p>Toph's voice was present, but her eyes seemed far away, even more so than usual. "I met his uncle once and we had a long talk. This has been a long time coming. It feels like he's destiny taking a physical form and the pieces are starting to fall into place, you know?" </p><p>Katara narrowed her eyes, still bleary with sleep and struggling to understand the cryptic words. "What do you mean by that?"</p><p>"Well, Aang needs a firebending teacher and Zuko is a powerful bender, right?" Toph posed casually.</p><p>Katara blinked in shock, remembering the last time she'd heard those words and felt the weight of prophecy and fortune resting upon her. Then she turned to gaze at the scarred face of the former prince beside her, who slept soundlessly, believing she was a spirit. "I suppose... he is."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sokka and aang were completely oblivious to katara being the painted lady, but toph knew what was up. and continues to do so.</p><p>i love writing this series so much that the hardest time this chapter gave me was trying to figure out how to spell the word mustache (yes, it took multiple attempts, i'm actually awful at writing).</p><p>we're just not going to talk about word limits anymore because this narrative needs to be longer in order to function cohesively. so ignore it please.</p><p>lol and the fortuneteller episode holds a very special place in my heart, if you can't already tell. when i was a kid, it was the only kataang moment that i really enjoyed and i still like it a lot. so a parallel got worked in!</p><p>i've gotten some really sweet comments about this, so thank you to everyone who interacts with it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. silent secrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi! i'm back from hibernation!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Amongst the various stages of heated agony pulsing through his veins and permeating his bones, Zuko’s stream of unconsciousness was surprisingly pleasant at times. Granted, these moments of freedom from his nerves feeling as though they were doused with oil and lit on fire were rare. </p><p>Still, he vaguely recalled moments where the pain eluded him, replaced by the sensation of cold water enveloping him and soothing his scalding fever. The faint memory of a shining blue light taunted him from behind closed eyelids, but Zuko dismissed the thought in a brief moment of lucidity. He figured he must be hallucinating back to the first night the Painted Lady had saved him. None of these dilutions of reality caused by illness-ridden senses held a candle to the strangest aspect of his mind’s haunting: the sounds.</p><p>Muffled echoes of human voices seemed to distort into something unrecognizable as if passing through the veil between worlds of spirit and mortal. Maybe Zuko was dead and hearing the whispers of the living from the realm beyond. </p><p>As the possibilities danced in the dark void of his subconscious mind, Zuko began to question the notion that death was the true end of human consciousness. How else could he be aware of the nothingness so vast his imagination was playing tricks on him?</p><p>What struck him as far more odd was the fading of the garbled imitation that seemed to itch in the back of Zuko’s mind with a blatant familiarity that could not be placed. It seemed that the endless silence would only accompany his writhing existence for so long before being banished by an ethereal song of spirits filling his ears. Zuko could only make out parts of words accompanying the melody in a high-pitched voice as flawless as flowing water.</p><p>Even the words that seemed clear to him were beyond understanding, despite his best efforts to decipher them. Using all of his willpower, Zuko managed to pry his eyes open once, but could only make out a pair of blurry blue eyes before gentle hands closed them again, propelling him back into unconsciousness. His last thoughts before the world faded away were of the familiar rivers contained within the eyes and the spirit whom they belonged to. </p><p>The next time he woke up, Zuko immediately realized that the pain and sheen of sweat covering his body were significantly lessened, replaced with a sense of fragile strength returning. Somehow, he wasn't dead. Cracking his bleary eyes open, Zuko was greeted with the walls of an unfamiliar cave and a dizzying sense of vertigo as he attempted to sit up.</p><p>He brought his hands to cradle his head before realizing his wrists were clad in blue fabric, strange and foreign, that extended over his entire body in the clothes he wore and a sleeping bag he’d been wrapped in. Were these… <em> Water Tribe garments</em>? </p><p>Head spinning, Zuko forced his reluctant body out of the stranger’s sleeping bag and onto his feet, only stumbling a grand total of twice. The disoriented confusion occupying his mind like a fog was only worsened by his surroundings. <em> Where in the world was he</em>?</p><p>The last thing Zuko remembered was the Fire Nation factory going up in flames with the sound of screeching metal as the Painted Lady ran beside him, a force of nature manifesting itself in a form of unearthly beauty. They’d been pursued by the soldiers, targeted by the skillful archers who aimed for the spirit shrouded in rumors as much as blame for the destruction of their surroundings. And Zuko had jumped in front of her.</p><p>Wrenching his head forward, Zuko’s eyes widened at the realization. Where was the Painted Lady? How was he not dead? Clarity had left him along with the crimson blood unseen against the black fabric as it spilled. Everything after the spirit’s gasp of horror and blood-curdling scream was like a royal stamp done on parchment with too little ink, faintly distant and barely readable.</p><p>As his vision started to clear and the nauseous rolling of his empty stomach calmed with the surge of adrenaline, Zuko righted himself enough to determine the exit of the cave. In the limited light of the cavern’s mouth, the nighttime’s shining moon was a beacon to follow.</p><p>Zuko didn’t know where he was or who had taken him, but he had to get out. </p><p>His feet were still leaden as he surged forward, gasping when the quiet echoes of conversation and the light of a fire began to flood his senses. Finally reaching the open-air free of the musty dampness he’d grown accustomed to, Zuko gasped at the sight before him.</p><p>Perched around a homely fire crackling with bright embers, the Avatar, and his companions were arranged in various stages of relaxation, accompanied by a chittering flying lemur. Against the cave wall, the bison Zuko had freed from underneath Lake Laogai gave a low grumble, causing all heads to turn at Zuko.</p><p>Their eyes widened in the flickering light as Zuko called out in a voice scratchy with disuse,” What are you doing here? Where am I? What’s going on?”</p><p>A girl dressed in a crimson halter top and matching skirt rose, striding towards him. As she approached, Zuko realized it was Katara and almost collapsed under his own weight.</p><p>He hadn’t seen her since the Catacombs of Ba Sing Se when he’d fallen prey to the appeal of his family’s disillusionment. Since he’d betrayed her and the world and his uncle all in one night. All for the sake of some corrupted mantle and the facade of honor it offered.</p><p>Zuko stumbled onto the ground, wrenching away from Katara’s touch as she reached for him.</p><p>“Zuko, we don’t want to hurt you. We’re camped out at the outskirts of Fire Fountain city. You need to stop moving or you’re going to reopen your wound,” she enunciated slowly, holding her hands out in front of him with eyes succumbing to surrender.</p><p>“How did I get here? Where’s the Painted Lady? What happened to the spirit with me?” Zuko cried frantically as the other figures around the campfire started to approach.</p><p>They all shared an alarmed look before Katara calmly started to speak again, biting her lip.</p><p>“We found you in the river with an arrow wound and took you with us so you wouldn’t die. There was no spirit, Zuko.”</p><p>“W-what?” Zuko stuttered, utterly puzzled. Why had the Painted Lady abandoned him? How had he escaped from the factory complex? Had she gotten out, too? Was she okay? Could spirits fall from such a battle? These questions swirled around his mind like autumn leaves in a strong breeze, but the equally confused expressions that stared back at him informed Zuko that uttering them aloud was pointless. They wouldn’t have answers about the spirit who had healed him, not once, but twice, judging by the state of his shoulder. </p><p>Considering how recently he’d received the injury, Zuko’s wound should still be open and possibly even infected, but only tender pink scar tissue peeked out from the rip in the shoulder of his borrowed blue garments. Perhaps the spirit’s blue light hadn’t been nonsense of a fever-ridden mind.</p><p>Katara began to anchor herself under his shoulder, attempting to pull him up, but he resisted, causing a stab of pain to shoot through his shoulder. “Stop, stop!”</p><p>He shuffled away from her touch further before the Avatar dropped down to his knees, assuring, “Don’t worry. I’m Aang. And I promise nothing bad’s gonna happen to you.”</p><p>“You’ve been asleep for days; I bet you’re really hungry. And you really need to eat if you want to heal well. So you need to let us help you up and we can get you some food, okay?” Katara suggested with thinly veiled caution, as if he were a porcelain teapot about to shatter in her palms.</p><p>Zuko’s eyes flitted around the group nervously until Katara’s brother, dressed in a similar get-up in shades of Fire Nation red, stepped over to assist his sister. </p><p>“Careful around his shoulder, Sokka. Toph, can you clear that boulder out of the way?” Katara requested.</p><p>The earthbender complied silently as Zuko registered the names he'd never bothered to learn in his former life.</p><p>He wasn’t in any position to be anything other than a limp rag doll without hurting himself further, so Zuko let the Water Tribe siblings help him to the fire, seating him atop the flying bison’s fluffy tail.</p><p>This was, of course, only after the bison had turned around to give Zuko an extraordinarily slimy greeting with his tongue.</p><p>“Huh, Appa. I guess you like Zuko, but tone down the spit, please,” Sokka mumbled weakly as some of it dribbled onto him, before setting Zuko down on the cushiony extension of Appa.</p><p>“Thank you,” Zuko muttered weakly, causing Sokka’s eyebrows to quirk up slightly before he turned away.</p><p>Katara fiddled with a pot and ladle for a few moments before bringing him a bowl of steaming soup, which he gratefully accepted. Scarfing down the wooden container’s contents, Zuko was unfazed by the eyes trained on him.</p><p>As he finished the earthy flavored soup that reminded him of his time as a runaway in the Earth Kingdom, Zuko cleared his throat in the impending silence. “So, I’m guessing these clothes are borrowed from you?” he stated awkwardly, gesturing to his garbs and then to Sokka.</p><p>Sokka nodded and replied, “You were a lot more, well, shirtless when we found you.”</p><p>“Where did you find me, exactly?”</p><p>“At the banks of the Imjin River, washed up pretty far down. It was hard getting out of that area with all the chaos from the factory malfunctioning, which I'm guessing you're responsible for. Can't be a coincidence,” Sokka responded.</p><p>"Uh, yeah, that was me. The factories are what's making everyone sick, so I started sabotaging them. The last time went wrong and I got this on the way out,” Zuko explained before pausing to point at the wound carved into his skin. “W-what I'm trying to say is that I’m not the same person who hunted you guys down. My loyalties have changed. And I’m sorry, for all of that.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, as much as <em> some of us </em> wanted to kick you to the curb, we need you,” Toph said with a blunt finality that caused Sokka's mouth to open and close with the speed of a turtleduck gobbling up pieces of bread.</p><p>Zuko’s brow creased in confusion at Toph’s comment and Katara snatching his empty bowl from him.“For what?”</p><p>“Well, you’re a firebender. And I need someone to teach me firebending,” Aang interjected.</p><p>Zuko’s mouth fell open as Katara shoved a newly filled bowl back into his hands. “Me? You want me to teach you how to firebend?”</p><p>“Well, you’re kind of on our side, now that you’re working against your father. And you do kind of owe us for saving your skin,” Sokka mused with a crooked smile.</p><p>A strange feeling rose in Zuko’s stomach as the coincidence and fate and chance swirled around them. Turning to Katara, he was momentarily caught off guard by something in her eyes that seemed to evoke a primal response in him. The way her azure irises glimmered in the firelight almost caused him to swallow his tongue before he snapped back into the present, dismissing the sense of déjà vu.</p><p>“And you’re okay with this?”</p><p>The unspoken questions sunk to the bottom of Zuko’s soul like a lead anchor falling into the depths of the ocean instead of hanging in the air.</p><p>
  <em> Can you forgive me for betraying you after you showed me kindness? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Do you believe me when I say I’ve really changed this time? </em>
</p><p>Katara met his gaze with earnest eyes widened in assurance, her voice barely a whisper in the night. “I think this is what the spirits have foretold.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(this fic also got a lot longer when i abandoned using drabble december prompts and reworked my outline. yay for me and my never-ending collection of wip's)</p><p>as for why katara and the gaang are hiding the truth about the painted lady and how that's going to impact the future of this story, stay tuned and thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. realms beyond understanding</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>During certain intervals of the shifting changes in the warm glow of the flames they gathered around, Katara's eyes would fall victim to the illusion that both sides of Zuko's face bore a scar.</p><p>In reality, she knew that the gaunt paleness of his face was unmarked on the side facing her and the rest of the group as if he were shying away from revealing that part of himself. Still, Katara couldn’t help but watch, perfectly entranced, as the light and shadow danced across the sharp angles of his face. </p><p>She’d only been able to observe them in shrouded darkness or the icy blue light of healer’s hands before that failed to enrich them with the warmth and liveliness that his own element could. Zuko was forged of fire and heat instead of ice and snow, seeming more at home here in his nation than Katara had ever seen him before. </p><p>“If you say so,” he replied to her comment about the will of spirits he thought he knew with a puzzled frown.</p><p>Zuko slurped his soup quietly as a heavy silence and doubt regarding how to proceed fell over the group. Zuko’s shoulders were slightly slumped in an awkward position, but his legs were tense and ready to spring up at any moment. It figured, considering he probably trusted his abductors as far as he could throw them, which wasn’t a great distance given his weakened state.</p><p>The observations of Zuko flooded Katara’s mind like a tidal wave as her eyes fixed on him, unable to look away due to all of the life he now exuded, even in his nervous shuffling and the tinge of blush on his cheeks when he met her eye. It was so starkly different from the limp boy who’d laid in her arms dying as she sang tender lullabies from a long-forgotten childhood. </p><p>In the lulling humidity of the Fire Nation night, surrounded by an atmosphere of unsureness and tentative alliance, Katara couldn’t help but fixate on the past holding her back instead of the future unfolding.</p><p>***</p><p>The fever consumed him from within, despite every effort to staunch the infection ravaging his body through the days and nights Katara stayed by his side. Zuko would shift and shake as if trying to crawl out of his own skin due to the unbearable heat. The glowing light of her hands couldn’t do much for the mostly-healed wound that still threatened his life, but she remained beside him, pressing a cool cloth to the deeply etched lines of his forehead. </p><p>The only thing Katara did that seemed to have any effect was to sing, a discovery made completely by accident. All of the others had headed into Fire Fountain city to stock up on supplies and look for any medicine they could find to help Zuko, leaving Katara alone with him during the day. To fill the endless silence she shared with a nearly dead person, she’d off-handedly started to hum a few familiar notes from songs she hadn’t heard since leaving the South Pole.</p><p>The wave of nostalgia for her home and development in Zuko’s condition occurred at the same time, nearly knocking her to the ground from where she knelt beside his head. </p><p>His trembling body had stilled, with a hand reaching out to grasp around her wrist, just as he had the first time she healed him on the wooden floor of that tiny village, lifetimes ago. Katara let out a gasp before his grip tightened slightly.</p><p>“Do you like the singing, Zuko?” she whispered softly as she began to stroke the sweaty skin of his forearm to ease his clenched fist enclosing her arm. </p><p>It loosened, allowing her to free herself, as she started to sing the words to the melody that had awoken him. Finishing the song, Katara watched as Zuko twitched again, seemingly encouraging her to continue singing.</p><p>“That was a lullaby my mother used to sing me when I was little. It’s a myth about the sky and the sea, who loved each other so much they created the ice of the North and South Pole, just so they could be together on equal ground,” Katara recited to the boy tucked into her sleeping bag, just as Kya had for her many years before. Zuko’s jaw tightened at words, filling her eyes with tears and hope.</p><p>“It’s traditionally a song we sing to children to help them sleep. But I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll keep singing if you promise to wake up, okay?”</p><p>Zuko didn’t respond, but his entire body visibly relaxed as Katara started again, hearing the high timbre of her voice echo through the cave.</p><p>She smiled softly and continued until Sokka, Toph, and Aang returned to find her crouched beside him with a voice ran ragged and cracked by the notes hanging in the air.</p><p>This was what spawned the argument around a makeshift fire as Katara’s fingers deftly pulled apart a steamed bun and shoved the pieces into her mouth.</p><p>“Katara, I’m worried about you,” Sokka broke the silence as Katara raised her eyebrows.</p><p>“Why? What’s that supposed to mean?”</p><p>Sokka bit his lip before elaborating, much to her annoyance. “It’s just, well, you’ve gotten kind of, uh,<em> attached</em> to Zuko lately. And I just wanted to-” </p><p>“What? No, I haven’t gotten <em> attached </em> to Zuko. He saved my life and I’m healing him in return. That’s it!” Katara protested, throwing her hands up in the air.</p><p>“We literally had to drag you out here to get you to eat something, Sugar Queen. Snoozles has a point,” Toph interjected before taking a bite of her bao (which was filled with sweet red bean paste instead of actual food because Katara hadn’t been there to supervise).</p><p>“Well, what’s wrong with that?” Katara jutted her bottom lip out in frustration.</p><p>“As long as he’s asleep, we have no way of knowing his intentions. I wouldn’t put him above staging this entire thing to capture Aang again,” Sokka replied firmly.</p><p>“That’s ridiculous; he didn’t even know the Avatar was anywhere near here-”</p><p>“I just think it’d be best if you kept your distance. You may think Zuko’s changed, but we’ve thought that before and been wrong. He didn’t even know it was you when you were prancing around as the Painted Lady. Katara, you need to be prepared if he turns on us again,” Sokka replied with a somber gaze.</p><p>Before Katara could respond, Aang cut in. “It’s really great that you’re giving him the benefit of the doubt and forgiving him, Katara. The monks would totally approve! But I think that being a little more careful wouldn’t hurt either.”</p><p>“We’re just looking out for your safety, you know,” Toph reiterated.</p><p>Katara blanched, realizing that they had all ganged up on her in the town. Fuming, she rose to her feet and huffed, “Well, fine then. If you guys all think that I’m putting us in danger by caring about someone who saved my life, then I’ll back off!”</p><p>“Katara, wait,” Sokka started before she let out an angry grunt and disappeared into the cave.</p><p>“I’ll <em> keep my distance  </em>and go clean some laundry at the river, then. Do you approve of that, ‘O Mighty Lord of Everything I Do’?” Katara called out, holding a pile of dirty rags she’d used to cool Zuko’s fever above her head as she stormed off into the woods.</p><p>Fighting her way through the mess of trees and shrubs occluding the path to the river, Katara periodically let out shouts of anger, taking her frustration out on the vegetation with a water whip. Bending through the walls of green all around her, Katara finally broke through into the clearing of the riverbank.</p><p>Sighing, she stripped off her clothes until she was left only in wraps and treaded into the waters, her heavy footsteps sinking into the silt of the river’s bed. Katara turned her face upwards towards the light of the moon shining down onto her and illuminating the water’s surface, breathing deeply. Within the source of her power, Katara’s troubles seemed to be washed away by the trickling current, at least for now.</p><p>She quickly got to work, scrubbing the sweat-soaked strips of fabric that had been pressed to Zuko’s forehead in her desperate attempts to soothe his skin as it heated from the inferno raging within him. </p><p>Lost to the repetitive haze of scrubbing her measly bar of soap to the grime of rags, Katara faded from the world into her thoughts until the water beneath her fingertips started to ripple.</p><p>Katara’s eyes widened even further in confusion as waves of fog started to creep over the river, engulfing her within them to the point she couldn’t see the shoreline. Beginning to fight against the unnatural forces surrounding her, Katara’s arms and jaw dropped as the woman materialized out of the mist in front of her.</p><p>Not a woman, a spirit. Her ivory skin was adorned by the streaks of crimson, clothed in flowing white robes draped around her as if an extension of the hazy fog around them. A long cloud of jet-black hair tumbled down her back from underneath a wide-brimmed hat like a waterfall, defying the forces that would otherwise cause it to fall straight. Resting with a regal air above the roaring river underneath, she placed her piercing gaze of molten amber on Katara. The Painted Lady, the real spirit behind the facade Katara had donned against the Fire Lord, was before her. </p><p>As panic crept into Katara’s chest and she opened her mouth to chant platitudes and apologies for sacrilegious actions, the Painted Lady merely smiled and stepped closer, pressing her index finger to Katara’s lips.</p><p>At the touch of a spirit, Katara could suddenly see much more than her mortal eyes allowed and she let out a broken gasp as it flashed before her all at once.</p><p>
  <em> Zuko’s eyes, devoid of any emotion other than rage, underneath a helmet forged of steel and suffering.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> His fist clenched around a blue carved pendant, navy felt wound around his wrist again and again.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> A deep-set frown on his face as he stared out at the night ocean atop a boat littered with sleeping forms, the glow of Ba Sing Se rising in the distance. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>  The fire springing forth from his fingertips as the tears fell from Katara’s eyes underneath the light of crystals.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Crackling lightning raining upon him and then springing from his fingertips as fires blazed behind him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Exhaustion carving lines into his face as the light drained from his eyes and he fell to the ground in front of a sickhouse. </em>
</p><p>Katara watched all of it as she stared at the Painted Lady in shock before the images stopped. Wrestling with an endless supply of questions, Katara felt the tears fall out of her unseeing eyes. “W-why are you showing this to me?”</p><p>Katara fell silent once again when the Painted Lady showed her an ever-familiar scene: the form of a false idol kneeling over Zuko in a shock of blue light.</p><p>It played again and again in her mind until Katara finally understood the message she was being given in no words. This form of communication was strange, with its vague string of understanding settling in the most uncertain parts of her mind. Upon the cathartic realization of what the Painted Lady was asking for, Katara fell to her knees into the shallows of the river, overcome by the weight of what she would have to do. With melancholy eyes shining even in the darkness, the Painted Lady started to retreat back to the unknown from which she had appeared.</p><p> “But why? Why can’t I tell him the truth?” Katara cried out, barely recognizing the sound of her voice as she gazed up expectantly at the spirit’s back.</p><p>The Painted Lady turned around again to face her, giving a sad smile as she slowly shook her head from side to side. Closing her eyes to reveal lids stained with the same stark coloring as the lines elsewhere, the spirit disappeared into the night before Katara's very eyes.</p><p>As the mist and haze of the unearthly faded, Katara was left on her knees with far more questions than the answers she had been provided. </p><p>It didn’t make sense to lie to Zuko about who she was and everything she had done. Katara couldn’t understand why the spirit had shown her images from eyes that didn’t belong to her. She knew nothing beyond the silent words that had echoed out within her mind like the unheard roar of a river far away.</p><p>The frustration she felt fell from her eyes into the lazy current below as a sense of defeated acceptance washed over her. She would follow the mandate given to her from a realm beyond her understanding. Although Katara couldn’t decipher the forces at work around her, she knew better than to question the will of the spirits.</p><p>***</p><p>Sitting before the flickering fire and answer to all of her silent prayers made by his sickbed, Katara couldn’t help but wonder what the spirits had in store for Zuko. Or what had changed him so drastically that his destiny now ran through the realms of the otherworldly beings. But there were no answers offered or found.</p><p>Katara was just as in the dark as he was, both of them kept ignorant to the workings of the universe by the Painted Lady, one false and one real.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i finally outlined this whole thing and figured out where i'm going with it, so it should be around 15 chapters.</p><p>thanks for commenting, kudosing, etc!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. indecipherable actions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, uh… how are you, um, doing?” Zuko forced out in the general vicinity of where Katara was unwrapping the last of his bandages. It only took approximately a fraction of a second for him to realize how ridiculous he sounded. Mentally slapping himself, he began to wallow in an endless sea of self-pity, the idea of drowning becoming far more appealing with each moment of silence that passed.</p><p>This is what Zuko got for starting to talk before deciding what to say. Katara’s right eyebrow slowly quirked up, as if to say, <em>Get a load of this guy! Former prince of what, now? He can’t even form a coherent sentence! </em></p><p>“Fine, thanks for asking,” Katara smiled with a slightly perplexed expression, “and so is your shoulder. You should still take it easy for a little while, but everything’s healed up pretty well. Like, surprisingly well, considering you’re alive.”</p><p>Zuko stared down at the bare paleness of his shoulder, marked by a jagged collection of pink scar tissue that he knew matched the one on his back. “Uh, thank you. For doing all of this and taking care of me when I was… you know,” he stammered with all of the elegance of someone who had just stubbed their toe and was trying to hold back a flurry of curse words. Zuko also had a strong desire to break out into cursing but for a different reason (although just as self-inflicted).</p><p>Katara’s nose scrunched with light-hearted amusement.“You’re welcome, but really, you don’t have to keep awkwardly thanking me. The first twenty times were more than enough.”</p><p>Zuko cocked his head slightly, bewildered by the warmth in her eyes when she looked at him that logistically shouldn’t have been there. Considering what he had done to Katara in this past, Zuko didn’t deserve any of the attention and care that she’d wholeheartedly offered up.</p><p>This whole situation could be an elaborate set-up, for all he knew. Perhaps the whole group was only pretending to tolerate him so that they could turn him back over to his father and collect the reward. Or push him off of Appa the next time they took off. Or abandon him in the middle of a crowded marketplace with no money after stealing his pants.</p><p>The odds of the last option occurring might have been marginally minute, but Zuko could never be too cautious. It wasn’t like Azula had never tried to do so in the past. Although, comparing Katara to Azula was like putting a turtleduck and fire-breathing dragon next to each other and calling them the same thing, at least in terms of temperament. Judging by what Zuko had witnessed of the waterbender’s abilities in the past, the comparison in terms of bending prowess and ability to kick his ass would be of two prodigal, fire-breathing dragons.</p><p>Shaking out from the whirlwind of thoughts bouncing through his head, Zuko finally managed to speak his mind. It would be better to get kicked out soon than later, right? Less time to let his guard down was a good thing.</p><p>“W-why are you being so nice to me?” Katara was getting up and starting to walk away when she turned around again at his words. </p><p>She cocked her head at the inquiry, locks of silky dark hair shifting over her shoulders. “What?”</p><p>“I don’t understand why you’re being so accepting of me. It doesn’t make sense,” Zuko grimaced, dropping his gaze to the floor to avoid seeing the reaction on her face beyond the initial furrowing of her brow.</p><p>Katara bit her lip and glanced around at the empty nature surrounding them. “W-what are you talking about? Where is this coming from?” </p><p>“Look, you can drop the act. If you guys are planning on turning me in or something, just do it sooner than later. Don’t string me along.”</p><p>Katara’s mouth hung open, her voice cracking with the offense she had taken with his words. “You think we’d do that? Does it really make sense that we’d go through all of that just to turn around and betray you?”</p><p>He met her eyes with his piercing gaze at the statement, wide with the knowledge of what she’d just uttered and the history between them that couldn’t be erased. “It’s not like I wouldn’t deserve it,” Zuko croaked, “but there’s just no logical explanation for why you guys accepted me so quickly, after everything I’ve done to you.”</p><p>It was like Zuko had ignited a fire within Katara’s eyes that blazed hotter than his own bending. A fire that was evidently catching elsewhere if the heat rising within Zuko’s chest was any indication “You listen here! I know you, Zuko. You’re not going to betray us. And we would <em> never </em>do that to you.”</p><p>“Do you not remember what happened last time? You shouldn’t be so blindly trusting! You don’t know me at all,” Zuko scoffed at Katara’s index finger pointed at his face. </p><p>The flames within Katara’s impossibly cobalt eyes intensified as she opened her mouth, inhaling deeply, but abruptly died down as she wrenched her head to the side. The inferno at the tip of her tongue retreated back into her throat as it started to rise in Zuko. Staring at the ground with a deeply etched frown, Zuko observed her closing her eyes for a moment and taking a breath before returning to her previous stance, albeit more reserved.</p><p>“I know you made me regret it before, but you're a different person now. I trust you. And maybe it’s foolish of me, but this argument is only proving me right,” Katara stood her ground in a soft tone that all the passion of debate had drained out of. </p><p>“It’s like you don’t learn! I could turn on you in a second and it’d be your own damn fault for wanting to see good that isn’t there!”</p><p>Regret for his rash words started to course through Zuko’s veins, accumulating in the pit of his stomach. Were they true? He’d lost his temper and yelled at the person who saved his life. Who did that? </p><p>The anger that threatened to consume him from within was supposed to stay in the palace along with everything he’d left behind. Yet it followed him like a malevolent shadow, casting a dark tinge onto every good thing he tried to do. No matter how hard Zuko tried, he couldn’t let go of the rage that arose like an all-consuming tide inside of him whenever it washed over him. He frowned deeply as his words to Katara echoed in his own ears.</p><p>The silence between them was even heavier than the intense humidity of the tropical Fire Nation air and seemed to diffuse even farther around them as the rhythmic chirping of birds and buzzing of insects fell away, along with everything beyond the two of them.</p><p>Despite his destructive eruption fueled by emotions undeserved and unwarranted by Katara, she seemed unfazed. She merely blinked before leaning down to pick up the bandages she’d flung to the ground in the midst of her intense arguing of Zuko’s case. As she started to turn away, Zuko finally found the words that had been evading him for what felt like multiple eternities stacked up against one another.</p><p>“I’m sorry. I was an idiot in the catacombs. It was wrong. I betrayed you. I regret it more than anything I’ve ever done,” Zuko blurted out, to which Katara stopped in her tracks before turning around to face him with earnest eyes. “I think back to it every day because I’m so ashamed of how fervently I believed my father and sister’s lies and their corrupted version of honor. But mostly it haunts me because I’m so, so, sorry for hurting you.”</p><p>"Zuko..." Katara started to whisper, but couldn't continue beyond his name.

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<p>He hung his head. “And I’m sorry that it took my people dying for me to realize how wrong I was. That I let them suffer for so long without understanding it wasn’t right or just or okay. I can’t look back to that time without wanting to bury my head in my hands. Practically every single thing I did was moronic. For Agni’s sake, I was so desperate for my birthright that I turned down magic water that could heal, I mean, how crazy is that? Being able to heal with just water?”</p><p>Katara stiffened until her posture looked uncomfortable.</p><p>He let out a bitter laugh that sounded like the scratchy rasp of anxious nails against a tatami mat. “Only the spirits could manage such a thing.”</p><p>Katara’s eyes widened and her lips compressed into a thin line, making alarm and dread pool in Zuko’s chest at the thought he’d upset her. This wasn’t surprising; Zuko did have a certain talent for unintentionally upsetting people. He quickly sputtered out, “But I’ve changed. I understand if you can’t forgive me; I know I did awful things, but I’m going to make it up to you. I promise.”</p><p>Katara blinked rapidly as her eyes started to well with the shiny glisten of tears, causing Zuko’s jaw to drop alongside his metal tirade of, <em> What have I done? What was I thinking? Of course, I upset her while trying to apologize for shooting fireballs at her. </em></p><p>Zuko winced at the expression clouding Katara’s features that reminded him of the direct aftermath of an expensive vase flipping through someone’s fingers and shattering onto the floor. He couldn’t have predicted what happened next even with the power of divination. </p><p>He was completely unprepared for her to fling herself into his arms, encircling her arms around his neck as she pulled him into a tight hug. Zuko could feel the rise and fall of her breath against his chest as he hesitantly brought his arms to rest around her waist in an attempt to retire the awkwardness pervading the hug that Katara didn’t seem to notice or care about. As she buried her face in his shoulder, Katara paused for a few moments of tense silence before whispering, “I know.”</p><p>Zuko’s utter perplexity was cut short by the distant sound of rustling leaves, cracking branches, and petty bickering. As he and Katara rapidly pulled away from each other, they both knew the exact source of the noise. </p><p>After a few seconds during which Zuko’s heart threatened to beat out of his chest, Aang, Sokka, and Toph entered the clearing of their encampment, arms stuffed with an assortment of wicker baskets all filled to the brim with freshly bought goods. Zuko could still hear the steady thuds of his heartbeat in his ears when Katara cleared her throat, wondering, “Where on Earth did you get the money to buy all of that?”</p><p>Aang gave a nervous smile. “Would you believe us if we said people were feelin’ extra charitable today?”</p><p>Katara raised her left eyebrow with little amusement, prompting Aang to make a second attempt. “How about smart investments?”</p><p>Even Zuko gave a small snort at the poor attempt at lying. After a lifetime spent with Azula, these people were all easier to read than children’s books containing mostly pictures. </p><p>“A bunch of scammers were ripping people off in town, so we decided to give them a taste of their own medicine,” Toph answered nonchalantly as she dumped the contents of her basket on the ground with little ceremony.</p><p>“We<em> scammed </em>the <em>scammers</em>, get it?” Sokka exclaimed with a completely unnecessary wink as Katara slapped her forehead with the open palm of her hand.</p><p>Zuko was momentarily surprised at the implication that Fire Fountain city was still functioning, but then remembered that there were no factories nearby. They were currently in the agricultural district of the Fire Nation, which had been hit less hard by the illness than industrial parts. He figured they must have been relatively unaffected by the plague, especially considering they were in Ozai’s favor.</p><p>“Hmph, the scammers are the least of this town’s troubles,” Zuko mumbled below his breath, not expecting everyone’s eyes to immediately fall onto him. Drawing attention to himself was unwise and it was at this moment Zuko realized he should’ve kept his mouth shut.</p><p>A chorus of queries rang out requesting more information, so Zuko sighed and continued. “You’re going after the wrong low-lifes. It’s just that Fire Fountain city’s got bigger fish to fry. The provincial governor? Notoriously corrupt. Lines his pockets with the town’s taxes so he can spend them on booze and mistresses, according to the rumors.”</p><p>“Rumors?” Katara cut in with inquisitive eyes that seemed to bore holes into his soul and coaxed any remnants of truth from the deepest parts of him.</p><p>“From reliable sources; don't worry.” He felt there was no need to add that he’d overheard the information being dispersed amongst giggling maids after returning from a night of sneaking around. After all, those women probably knew more about the palace and its workings than Zuko's own father.</p><p>“That’s unfair. How does he keep getting away with that?” Aang demanded, the youth in his features becoming more obvious than ever.</p><p>Zuko shrugged. “Well, there’s not enough evidence to go after him. At least, not for regular law enforcement</p><p>Katara chimed in with a knowing look that sped up the telltale thumping of his heart within his chest. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”</p><p>“Vigilantes don’t have to play by the regular rules, do they?”</p><p>Sokka cut his sister off by gesticulating with some extremely dramatic hand-waving, without even a trace of the earlier animosity he’d shown towards Zuko. “Hold on, Katara. I think we should at least hear what the man has to say.”</p><p>Zuko let a satisfied grin fall onto his lips as the circle surrounding him started to mirror it.”Go big or go home, right? If you really want to pull some heists, I’d start at city hall.”</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. debts owed and paid</h2></a>
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    <p>Katara couldn’t resist grinning at the obvious awe worn like a painted mask on the gang’s faces at the display of Zuko’s abilities.</p><p>He jumped from shingled rooftop to rooftop with no mind for the laws of gravity that held him back, only pausing for the rest of them to follow him. He was a blur in the night in the black clothing they’d all donned due to the technical illegality of their plans for the night. Aang quickly smiled and followed him with a rustling swoosh of his airbending, followed by Toph launching herself and a rather unprepared Sokka into the air with a stomp of her foot. They both landed in an unceremonious heap producing a multitude of hushed groans and giggling. It wasn't hard to guess which person was making which sound. </p><p>Following Sokka’s undignified yelp of surprise, anticipatory silence beckoned Katara over to the next building. </p><p>She hesitated for only a moment before locking eyes with Zuko across the alley and making the leap with extended water whips to break her fall. Katara rolled onto the sloped surface, the tiles of the rooftop digging into her knees as she uprighted herself. The firebender gave her a curt nod of approval before gesturing for all of them to keep following him.</p><p>Zuko weaved through houses and buildings like he’d lived in Fire Fountain City his entire life, never faltering even once. Katara supposed he might have been hopelessly lost and leading them in circles, but he remained so steadfast and self-assured that she dismissed this. </p><p>Under the total darkness of a new moon, they all seemed to blend into the hazy edges of the shadows. But despite all of them wearing variations of the same disguise, Zuko still managed to fade into the background better. Katara couldn’t quite explain it, but keeping her eyes focused on him for too long didn’t seem possible. There was a naturally stealthy air about him that was well-suited to the stealth of covert operations, something Katara was infinitely grateful for as they approached a gilded mansion in the town square.</p><p>In the daytime, the golden finishings of the roof and pillars would shine brightly enough to blind. However, under the cover of darkness, every single crack was visible. The webbings of shadow crept around through the foundation of the structure, bringing it down from its base. The irony of this beautiful place rotting from the inside was not lost on Katara. </p><p>Zuko seemed aware of the deception the house perpetrated as well, eyes scanning the scene with a cold, calculative gaze. After a few moments of contemplative silence, he turned to the group, seeming to address Katara as he spoke in barely above a whisper.</p><p>“The plan is to get in and out, as quickly as possible. It is absolutely imperative that we do not draw attention to ourselves, okay?”</p><p>Sokka raised an eyebrow, questioning, “Who made you the boss?”</p><p>“Have you ever been here before? Do you know exactly where they keep all of the valuables?” Zuko shot back, unamused.</p><p>The sheepish, quiet boy hindered by an awkwardness that could suppress the movement of mountains over centuries was gone. The burden of being saved and owing his life in debt to people that he had once called his enemies was lifted, even if only temporarily. In his place, if only for a night, was a masked vigilante who would take charge and do whatever it took to get things done. More and more, Katara was being convinced that the things being done were right. </p><p>Sokka pouted slightly before shrugging and relinquishing any hope of leading the heist to Zuko. </p><p>There was no smug satisfaction in Zuko’s eyes, only fierce determination for the task at hand. “That’s what I thought. What I’m saying is that we cannot get caught. That means no bending unless absolutely necessary and you have to keep your mouths shut. Got it?”</p><p>A quiet chorus of affirmative responses rang out, accompanied by a mocking salute from Toph. Zuko’s brow furrowed at the blind earthbender, as if the opinion of a twelve-year-old was more important to him than he was willing to admit. He said nothing, but Katara allowed the faintest trace of a smile to creep onto her dry lips. He cared what they thought, even if he tried to hide it. This meant he was thinking of staying; that he might assimilate into their group and acknowledge their shared goals.</p><p>As Katara stared at the ghostlike paleness of Zuko’s face, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the ethereal glow of the Painted Lady. A spirit who she obeyed, even without any hints of understanding to the actions she committed. Still, Zuko was stumbling onto a path that Katara could have only dreamed about atop the back of a bison in the darkest hours of the morning since the Catacombs of Ba Sing Se. The Painted Lady’s maddeningly cryptic ways may have had some insight that Katara was not privy to. </p><p>With a swipe of his hand indicating for them to follow his lead, Zuko stalked over to a window, breaking the glass with the hilts of his swords in one fluid motion. The shattering sound wasn’t as loud as Katara predicted, leaving her braced with her hands over her ears for no reason.</p><p>“Watch out and don’t get cut,” Zuko warned, jumping through the window. He disappeared from view for a moment before returning with a downy towel, spreading it over the shards on the windowsill. </p><p>Katara was the first to follow him into the daintily decorated bathroom, stealing a glance at him and whispering, “Thanks.”</p><p>He nodded with an almost inaudible, “You’re welcome,” before returning his attention to help a squirming Sokka make his way inside.</p><p>Once everyone had infiltrated the governor’s residence, the mayhem began. Zuko smirked while he ran through the halls as if retracing steps from the past, stopping in front of a set of double doors encrusted in gold and bronze casts of dragons. </p><p>Zuko stared at the doors as if he could see through them and knew exactly what lay on the other side. Summoning a small flame in his palm, he pressed it into the intricately welded doorknob, flinging the heavy metal backward and giving them access.</p><p>There was a subdued silence for a moment as the reminder of Zuko’s firebending blanketed everyone. This was a power he had wielded to hurt them in the past and its terrifying glow wasn’t easily forgotten. But as his eyes widened and he hastily snuffed it out, Katara felt the fear fade like spirits into uncharted nighttime. It was strange to recognize the ally she followed as the enemy that had pursued her as the same person, but Katara marveled at him. </p><p>Change was hard to manage and people resisted it like mounds of rock did with streams of water. The water would drive away a canyon eventually, but it would take lifetimes. Zuko had managed it in months. </p><p>Katara had been taught what was right and her beliefs were there to uplift her every time she retreated. Zuko, on the other hand, had had to realize that everything he’d ever learned was warped. He had to come to terms with the fact that he had been lied to and make amends. It took strength that Katara admired more than she could ever say aloud.</p><p>As she remained captivated by the boy separated from her by a wall of unearthly secrecy, the others laid their eyes on the true purpose of this mission. </p><p>Illuminated by the dim flickering of candlelight, the room shone with the glint of stolen riches. Silver and gold inlaid with fine gemstones of every color gazed at the vigilante group of children with a cold intensity. Silks in every dyed hue adorned the walls, cut into the delicate styles of the Fire Nation by undoubtedly expensive hands. Vases and bowls of every shape and glaze containing fineries Katara could only imagine were draped haphazardly on every surface possible.</p><p>Sokka and Aang immediately dove into a chest full of antique silver platters and attempted to use them as frisbees. Toph joined in as well, running towards a large gong made out of solid gold, desperately searching for something to hit it with. But Katara watched in tentative silence as Zuko bypassed all of the wealth without a second glance. It had never been more clear to her that he had grown up on top of a throne installed onto the backs of others than this moment. Subtle resentment rose into her cheeks, flushing them a pale pink. </p><p>She wasn’t expecting the animosity to dissolve the way it did when he flung aside a heavy curtain, revealing a heavy metal safe. Before anyone could comment about Toph’s ability to metalbend, Zuko was already fiddling with a small lock composed of a rotating axis of printed characters.</p><p>It took seconds before a loud click rang through the chamber and the safe door was flung open to reveal a practically endless pile of money.</p><p>“H-how did you know the passcode?” Aang gaped, with Sokka’s jaw dropped to match.</p><p>Zuko glanced sideways, deadpanning, “It’s the governor’s wife’s sister’s name.”</p><p><br/>
They grabbed all they could carry on top of almost every single bag in the safe, depositing the valuables in every trash can they could find in the city. Only the working-class people who had to throw out their own trash every day would get the money (in other words: the ones who needed it). Sokka had been the one to suggest it as a surprisingly genius solution to their problem of distributing the stolen money without getting caught and they all embraced it. </p><p>As they reached the outskirts of the city, Katara wondered out loud, “What’s going to happen if those people get caught with the money? Is there some punishment that we just condemned them to?”</p><p>Everyone deferred to the Fire Nation expert as Zuko made large gestures with his open hands. “Well, uh, I don’t think anyone’s going to be flaunting that much money around. They’ll know it’s stolen and probably keep it quiet. Spending too much would be suspicious, so that should also take care of the inflation,” he mused aloud.</p><p>He held her gaze long after silence replaced his raspy speech. Katara still hadn’t looked away by the time that Toph chimed in.</p><p>“Well, that was fun. So, it’s settled. We’re letting Zuko choose team bonding from now on,” she announced, hugging the overstuffed sack of collector’s edition celadon teapots she’d pilfered from a decorative cabinet of the governor’s office.</p><p>“Following tonight’s events, I will even admit that Zuko was a good addition to the team,” Sokka added while fiddling with his newly acquired silk robes stained with the same burnt orange color as Aang’s. </p><p>“Let’s hear one for Zuko!” the airbender called out, pumping a fist into the air. Katara didn’t join in with Sokka, Aang, and Toph, but merely smiled at the recipient of the attention’s crimson blush.</p><p><br/>
Katara and Zuko continued this intricate dance around each other long after the sun rose on the hillside and town below, throughout the days and nights of lulling familiarity. It wasn’t until Katara awoke in the darkness to the sound of Zuko sneaking out into the wilderness beyond that she was forced to face her reality.</p><p>Slipping on her hidden Painted Lady disguise, she silently followed the sound of his footsteps into the dark uncertainty beyond the dim embers of their fire.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>month long hiatus who?</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>feel free to yell at me <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/moonburntmemory">here</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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